go6 Mifcellanea Curio fa, 



'ion in this our Century, by the accurate dili- 

 gence of ^GaliUus, Tonicc/Jius, Hugenius, and ci- 

 thers, and now lately by our worthy. Country- 

 matW Mr. Ijaac Newton, which Properties it may 

 ■be very material here to enumerate, that they 

 may (trve for a Foundation to all thofe that 

 Ihail be willing to fpend their Thoughts in 

 fearch of the true Caufe of this Dejcent of Bo- 



■dim pJ I i ■ , pm < 1 ■ : 



■ 1 irtKrlci' i * f ... >..'.',*.-' \„ ' H - • 



The fTril Property is, That by this Princi- 

 ple of Gravitation, all Bodies do defcend to- 

 wards a Point, which either is, or el/e is ve- 

 ry near to the Center of Magnitude of the 

 Earth and Sea, about which the Sea forms it 

 &l£ exactly into a Spherical Surface, and the 

 Prominences of the, Land, confidertng the Bulk 

 of the whole , differ but infenfibly there- 

 from. 



Secondly* That this Point or Center of Gravi- 

 tation, is hVd within the Earth, or at leaft has 

 been fo, ever fmce we have any Authentic]^ Hi- 

 ftory : For a Confequence of its Change, though 

 never fo little, would be the over-flowing of the 

 low Lands on that fide of the Globe towards 

 which it approached, and the leaving new Iflands 

 bare on the oppofite fide, from which it reced- 

 ed 5 but for this Two Thoufand Years it ap- 

 pears, that the low Iflands of the Mediterranean 

 Sea'\nQ&t to which the ancienteft Writers liv'd) 

 have continued much at the fame height above 

 the Water, as they now are found ; and no In- 

 undations or Kecelfes of the Sea arguing any (uch 

 Change, are recorded in Hiftory ; excepting the 

 Vnhtrftl'Dduge, which can no iietter way be 

 ,i accounted 



